


First Date

by PrplGrl



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: M/M, Modern AU, Naughty Thoughts, Strong Language, Troll - Freeform, Worgen, blood elf, high elf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 10:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6281710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrplGrl/pseuds/PrplGrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caraenyl's first date in over ten years doesn't go exactly as he planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Date

Caraenyl stood in the small exam room, his red-orange tabby cat trying to escape his situation by crawling up onto his owner’s shoulders and hide in Cara’s long, deep red hair. Cara giggled, Flick’s whiskers tickling his neck, as he again pulled him away and put his poor baby back onto the stainless steel table.

“It’s okay, Flick,” Caraenyl attempted to sooth. “It’s just your yearly checkup.”

Flick mewed in protest, turning large yellow eyes to look at him. Cara could definitely sympathize with not wanting to be somewhere… although, he admitted to himself with a modicum of guilt, he really didn’t mind taking his cat to the vet.

The door at the back of the room opened and Dr. Korveris walked in, olive green eyes looking up from the file in his hand and a smile graced his lips. Cara wasn’t sure he’d ever been so… smitten with someone before; the veterinarian’s smile made his whole face light up and always reached his eyes. Short black hair covered his head in teasing wavy locks and though his goatee was trimmed the doctor seemed to have a permanent five-o’-clock shadow, not that Cara minded. He was tall, Caraenyl had figured maybe a foot taller than himself and being five feet, six inches, that made Korveris very tall. He had a stocky build with just enough muscles to know he meant business but not so much as to be overly bulky. Today, his broad chest was covered by scrubs that had cartoony puppies all over it on a dark red background. It looked good on him; Cara always liked what he wore.

They exchanged small talk before Korveris gently arranged Flick around on the table for his exam, despite the poor kitty’s mews of protest to being poked and prodded. The doctor had a slightly deep voice and Caraenyl had always found it soothing; Korveris had been Cara’s vet for over three years and there were two emergencies where the vet’s voice had been the most comforting. The one that stood out the most was when Caraenyl had to put down his elderly kitty. He’d had Sunrise for almost twenty years; saying goodbye was one of the hardest things Cara had to do, but Dr. Korveris had been there, rubbing his back and whispering gently as Cara cried. He made sure Caraenyl was taken care of, even offered to drive him home.

However, somehow Cara knew that he had fallen for the extremely handsome veterinarian long before that.

Flick had his ears back in annoyance as Dr. Korveris gave him his feline leukemia and rabies shots. With a final pet, the doctor announced that everything looked good, although Flick was a bit on the plump side. Cara knew this and sighed; he just couldn’t help spoiling his babies but made a mental note to reduce Flick’s treat consumption in the future.

Caraenyl picked up his mewing kitty and went to put him back into his carrier. The next words he heard were very unexpected.

“So, celebrating Valentine’s Day with anyone special?” Korveris asked, his eyes going over the paper he’d been filling out during the exam.

“Uh… not really,” Cara admitted, locking the lid to the carrier and slightly blushing. “I mean, unless you count Flick. I… I haven’t had anyone, uhm, special since my last boyfriend.” He felt the blush intensify at what he just said and he forced a smile, even as his dark golden eyes turned a bit sad. “But that was over ten years ago now.” He laughed awkwardly, trying to ignore the permanent lump of sadness that festered in his heart; it had been a bad breakup.

A look of understanding and sympathy crossed the doctor’s gaze when he looked up from the paper, giving Cara a soft smile. “I see.” He said it in that soothing way that almost instantly eased the pain Caraenyl felt, and he was certain his tall ears were now indistinguishable from his hair.

“Would you like some company this year?”

Cara’s eyes widened at the question, not entirely sure he heard right. “C-company?” he asked dumbly, his voice pitched an octave higher than it usually was and he cleared his throat. He wanted to crawl into the carrier with Flick, he was so embarrassed.

There was that smile again. “Yes, company. Maybe my place? I wouldn’t recommend any of the overcrowded restaurants and I promise I can cook up a much better meal.”

Caraenyl thought about it for a moment; sitting around in pajamas, eating junk food and watching romantic comedies into the night or a romantic dinner with the veterinarian he’s had the hots for? Maybe, even as little as a year ago, he would have been more inclined to choose the former, but now…. A small thrill went up Cara’s spine at the thought of spending an evening with the doctor and he smiled a little, unable to keep eye contact as he answered, “That… sounds nice.”

Cara had no idea Korveris’s smile could get any wider; he looked insanely happy as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a business card. Jotting down a couple things, he walked up to the shorter man and gazed down at him, handing the card over. “Here’s my address and personal cell phone. If you need directions, feel free to ask. See you around seven?”

“Sounds good,” Caraenyl almost squeaked. His heart was pounding; slowly the realization hit him that for the first time in almost a decade he had a date.

“Good. See you then, Caraenyl.”

Cara’s knees almost buckled. “Y-yes… right. Th-thank you, Dr. Kor—”

The vet put a hand up and shook his head. “Merekai.”

“…Merekai.” Caraenyl could feel his face heat up further as he whispered the name and watched Dr. Merekai Korveris nod and leave the small room. He liked the tall man’s name, it seemed… fitting, even if Cara knew absolutely nothing about human names.

He took a moment to wrap his head around what just happened. Caraenyl for a brief moment told himself it was just his imagination, but he looked down at the card in his hand and butterflies immediately erupted within his stomach. He had a date, a real date! With a guy he actually liked!

Flick meowed loudly, making Cara jump and reminding him where he was. He tried to organize his thoughts as he apologized to his poor kitty, but was still flustered enough to almost forget paying for his bill on his way out.

 

Caraenyl had come to a devastating conclusion and it made him feel unbelievably stupid. Why didn’t he think about it before? It wasn’t like he didn’t have time, but now? Too late, far, far too late. The date, his first real date since his last relationship, was supposed to start in less than three hours and Cara now realized that he had absolutely no clothes.

The contents of his dressers and closet were strewn across his bedroom; some laid out on his bed, most of it thrown into piles on the floor as his frustration had grown. Caraenyl worked from home and didn’t have any clothing that would be adequate for a first date, he knew. All he really owned were casual outfits, mostly jeans, pajama pants, sweat pants, tee shirts and over-sized sweatshirts.

He sighed heavily, sitting on the edge of his bed that wasn’t covered in his clothes and looking down at his cell phone. He needed to cancel, Caraenyl knew he had to, but he still hesitated, trying to work out in his head if there was any possible way to salvage something out of his wardrobe.

The sound of his front door opening and closing made Cara look up and his roommate’s voice carried down the hall, “Hey Cara, I found the perfect thing to wear for Luu tonight! You’ve gotta see it! It’s all lacy and silky and just complicated enough to be teasing. Can’t wait to show it off. Y’know, if things go well tonight, I’ll let you borrow it for—”

Neffren’s tirade stopped when he stepped into Caraenyl’s bedroom, green eyes looking around before settling on the dark haired elf. “What happened here? Release a can of whoop-ass on your clothing?”

Caraenyl sighed again, gazing back at his phone. “I… have to cancel my date.”

The teasing smile on Neffren’s face immediately fell into a stern frown. “No you don’t.”

“I have nothing to wear! What kind of impression will I give Dr. Korv—uhm, Merekai—if I show up in jeans and a sweatshirt?” He pressed a button to open up text messaging on his phone, when suddenly it was snatch from his grasp. Cara looked up at his strawberry-blond roommate. “Neff!”

“No!” Neffren closed the flip-phone and put it in a pocket on his jeans. “You have been waiting for this man for three years, Cara. I will not watch you waste your chance to finally be with him!”

“But—I—” Caraenyl darted his eyes around the room, gesturing with his hands how hopeless he felt, too frustrated to convey his thoughts properly.

Neff released a small sigh and smiled gently at his friend. “It’ll be okay, Cara dear. I’ll help you put something together. We just need to get creative.”

Caraenyl didn’t quite believe Neffren would be successful, and it showed on his face, but his roommate merely giggled.

“Oh ye of little faith.” The strawberry blond winked and slowly paced the room, gazing at the clothing tossed about. Occasionally, he pick up an article and examine it before putting it back down. Neffren did this for several minutes, finally stopping on the other side of the bed and glaring down at Flick, who was curled up on a small pile of shirts. “What about this?” he asked, gently pushing the now annoyed tabby aside and pulled out a red, long-sleeved top.

Cara rolled his eyes. “That’s the top to those red and purple hearted pajama pants, remember? You got it for me last year.”

Neffren ran his fingers over the material and glanced over at his roommate a moment before nodding. “Yup, this’ll do.”

“What?!” Caraenyl nearly screeched, a light blush blossoming on his pale cheeks. “I am not wearing pajamas for a date!”

His friend ignored him, instead draping the shirt over his arm and turning his attention to a pile of jeans beside the dresser. He pulled out a black pair and nodded again, also placing the article over his arm and dug around in one of the drawers to grab the lint roller Cara stored there.

Neffren walked up and handed the items over, looking quite pleased with himself. “There you go, Cara dear, something to wear.”

He shook his head, “But Neffren, this shirt… and jeans? That won’t send the right message!”

The strawberry blond put his hands on his hips. “You’re not going to some fancy restaurant, no suit is required. And that shirt will be fine, Cara; I didn’t even realize it was from that set! I doubt your vet will. As for a message, I think it says, ‘I feel comfortable around you.’ That’s something you want to say, Cara dear. Too stuffy says ‘obligation’ and too loose says ‘I don’t care.’ This says ‘I care and I’m comfy.’ He’ll love it.”

Caraenyl sighed and looked down at the clothes in his arms. The shirt was about a size too big, what he preferred, and made of soft micro-fiber fleece and the jeans were well worn, but not faded. Maybe… it wouldn’t be too bad of an outfit.

Neff leaned into him and gave his friend a menacing glare. “Do I have to sit here with you to make sure you go, Cara dear? You know I will.”

Cara flinched and blushed, shaking his head. “No, I’ll go Neff,” he answered, holding the items close. If there was one thing Neffren hated more than missing out on sex with his partner, it was his friends missing out on opportunities he knew they’d been waiting for. It had frustrated Neff to no end that Caraenyl was so attracted to the veterinarian but had never made a move on him. In the end, he just wants people he cares about to be happy and Cara could never hate him for that, even with the half-serious threats.

“Good.” Neff smiled and crossed his arms, leaning back to gaze thoughtfully at the other redhead. “So, what did you get him?”

Another blush spread on Caraenyl’s cheeks and he gave a small shrug, looking away as he answered, “Uh, a rose. I don’t really know him that well, so I figured… you know, something simple?”

Neffren sighed out a groan and put his face in his hands. “A rose? My god you have been out of the dating scene for too fucking long, love.” He looked at his friend from between his fingers and shook his head. “This isn’t some teenager bullshit.” Removing his hands, Neff crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “This man of yours is making you dinner. What do adults usually drink during a romantic meal?”

Cara’s face paled. “Shit.” He glanced at his watch; if he left now, he could get to the liquor store before it closed. He didn’t know what exact type of wine he’d get, but he was sure someone would help him find something that wasn’t terrible.

“Now don’t panic,” Neffren soothed, placing a comforting hand on the other redhead’s shoulder and smiling gently. “You should know by now that I take this seriously and I will not see you fail. I bought you a bottle of really good stuff, it’s chilling in the fridge now.”

Caraenyl sighed in relief and gave his friend a thankful smile. “Where would I be without you, Neff?”

“Lonely, forever single and, worst of all, without sex.”

Cara laughed and wrapped his free arm around Neffren when he leaned in for a hug.

“You’ll be fine, Cara dear,” Neff reassured as they pulled away. “This man would be the biggest dumbass in history not to fall for you.” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and clapped his hands together. “Well! Now that your crisis is averted, I need to get ready for my date. Luu’s taking me to this great little place outside town then it’s back to his place for some good, traditional Valentine’s Day fucking.”

Caraenyl giggled and reached for his phone when Neffren fished it out of his pocket. He pulled it away, however, and gave the darker redhead a questioning look.

“What will we not do?” he asked in a sing-song tone.

“Cancel the date,” Cara responded quietly, now feeling foolish for even thinking of it.

“Aaaaand?” his friend pressed.

It took only an extra moment for Caraenyl to remember, “Oh! Forget the wine!”

Neffren smiled, handing his roommate’s phone back. “Good boy.” With a kiss on the cheek for good luck and asking for a full report the next day, Neff bounded from the room.

Still having some time before he needed to head out, Cara started cleaning up the disaster he’d made, keeping an eye on the clock and hoping that a little of Neffren’s shamelessness had rubbed off on him. While he definitely wasn’t expecting bedroom antics, Caraenyl was hoping to get at least a kiss by the end of the night.

Caraenyl blushed.

 

Nope, definitely didn’t have Neffren’s confidence.

Caraenyl sat in his car, parked in the gravel driveway at the address Merekai had given him (he had double checked the fire number at least five times to be sure it matched) silently fretting. The wine sat next to him in the passenger seat; Neff had even been nice enough to get a big, garish red bow for it. The rose Cara had bought was sitting beside it, delicately wrapped in paper decorated with a white and red heart pattern. He kept looking at his watch, wondering if he was too early; 6:38, that wasn’t bad, right? Merekai had said around seven. But would he be prepared? Still cooking? Still getting ready?

Caraenyl’s face flushed as his mind was assaulted with the image of Dr. Korveris answering the door in nothing but a towel, still wet from a fresh shower and Cara put his hands over his face.

“No, no, no, no!” he berated himself. “I can’t go in there thinking of that!”

His dark golden eyes gazed up at the house, trying to suppress the fresh image. Merekai’s home did look very… cozy. Being a mile or two outside of town, it was nestled amongst a small area of forest and didn’t seem very big, but was two stories. Cara had never seen a log cabin before, and this one seemed to be straight out of a magazine, complete with a porch that had a bench, a small area in the yard for chopping wood, and a plume of smoke rising from the chimney. It was very picturesque, especially with the few inches of snow they’d gotten over the last couple weeks.

6:42; Caraenyl took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Okay, I can do this.” He grabbed the bottle of wine and rose, collecting what courage he could muster and opened his door. He shivered as he stepped into the cold air, closing and locking his doors, before walking up to the porch. “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine,” he kept whispering. “It’s just a date; I can do this.”

Standing before the door, Cara hesitated, wondering if he should wait another few minutes, but a chill rippled down his spine and he reminded himself that he was being foolish. At least, he hoped he was being foolish.

Taking another deep breath for his nerves, Caraenyl put a shaky finger to the doorbell and pressed.

The door opened a moment later and Merekai greeted Cara with his handsome smile, dressed in a button-up pink silky-looking shirt and gray slacks, both slightly covered by an apron that said “Kiss the Cook – But Don’t Touch the Buns!” The redhead giggled at that, making his host look down a moment and he also laughed. “Come in, Caraenyl.”

Cara stepped over the threshold, quickly handing over the wine and rose as Merekai closed the door. “H-here, for you,” he said softly, inwardly hating the way he seemed to forget how to talk when nervous.

The doctor took the offerings with a genuine thank you and put the rose to his nose a moment before putting the items down on a small table by the door and offered to take the redhead’s coat.

Caraenyl nodded and turned, unzipping the garment and pulling it open. “I hope I’m not too early,” he confessed.

“Not at all,” Merekai replied in that soothing voice of his, helping Cara out of his coat. “You’re… perfect.”

Caraenyl looked up at the doctor and blushed. The way he said it and the way his pale green eyes were gazing at Cara heavily implied he wasn’t strictly talking about his guest’s timing. The redhead averted his gaze, small smile on his lips and heart thundering in his chest. “Oh, uhm, good.”

It took a moment, but Merekai broke free from his trance and opened a door beside the small table, hanging Cara’s coat and gestured his guest down the small entryway.

Beyond the entrance, Caraenyl stepped into the living room; it was spacious but not too large, with a big, cushy sectional couch against the back of the room, with rustic end tables, coffee table, and television stand in the opposite corner, which held a decent-size flat screen. A fireplace was nestled into the wall between the couch and TV, a warm fire burning within. Soft music reached Cara’s ears, and he found the source to be a stereo built into a medium bookcase, sitting against the wall beside the TV.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” Caraenyl whispered, taking another step into the room.

“Thank you.” The doctor watched his guest for another minute before clearing his throat. “Make yourself at home, Caraenyl. Dinner is almost ready.”

“Okay.” Cara watched Merekai vanish into another room, supposedly the kitchen, smile on his face.

Caraenyl stepped over to the fireplace, reaching out toward the flames and sighing at the pleasant warmth. He never could get warm enough, it seemed, always wearing sweatshirts and hoodies and loose-fitting pants. He also found fires comforting, with soft lighting and quiet crackles. Cara’s nervousness slowly eased and he sighed in relief, although he still couldn’t believe he was there.

Trying to keep his mind off the date, the redhead gazed around the room again, loving the warm and welcoming feeling it brought him. His eye caught a collage of framed pictures on the wall to his left and he stepped toward it, wondering who the vet would have pictures of; if anything, it would be something to talk about over dinner.

There were several different pictures of varying sizes in the frames, all of them were of a woman with blonde hair and brown eyes in some fashion. Merekai was pictured with her in a few, including one Caraenyl recognized as a wedding photo, and there were only two that had a baby in them as well.

Cara’s heart sank as he realized the collage was most likely a memorial to his family. It seemed nobody was truly able to escape the horrors of the past. He gazed at the woman, who Caraenyl could not deny was beautiful, knowing she had to have been an amazing person; someone Merekai married had to be one of a kind. The redhead mourned her loss, understanding completely how the doctor must have felt, no matter how it happened. Dealing with the death of a loved one is never easy.

As he continued to ponder what she was like, Cara began to wonder if he could live up to that; to be an important point of his life… and if Merekai could be the same for him. The thought made butterflies erupt in his stomach and he shook his head. He told himself to slow down and not panic; they hadn’t even finished their first date for crying out loud! Still the thoughts lingered, and Caraenyl took another breath to calm the fear slowly creeping into his heart.

“Caraenyl?”

The redhead nearly jumped out of his own skin at the sound of Merekai’s voice, squeaking in surprise and whipping around.

His host looked extremely amused as he stepped further into the living room, smirking as he asked, “You alright?”

Cara nodded quickly, feeling his face heat up and hating it. “I was… just thinking.” Some impression he was making.

Merekai’s smirk widened into a grin and he gestured toward a doorway on the other side of the room. “Dinner’s ready, good sir.”

Caraenyl cleared his throat and forced himself to relax as he was lead into the dining room. Again he was awestruck at how quaint and warm it was; a small, round table was set up fancier than he’d seen at any restaurant, with two burning candles at the center, framing a bouquet of white lilies and, in the middle of the lilies, was a single red rose. The silverware and plates sparkled in the just-dim-enough light, wine glasses already filled, Cara spotting the bottle he’d brought, opened, sitting in an ice-filled wine bucket. The music from the living room was just loud enough to carry over and be pleasant.

Caraenyl couldn’t have imagined it being any more perfect.

Merekai pulled out a chair and smiled, pleased when the redhead sat down.

“What did you make?” Cara asked as his host pulled off the lid to a fairly large serving dish and an amazing scent assaulted Caraenyl’s nose.

The doctor grabbed Cara’s plate and scooped up some rice from another bowl, putting it on the plate as he replied, “Shrimp with cut baby carrots and baby corn, all cooked in my very own garlic butter sauce over rice.”

Caraenyl’s stomach rumbled loudly and Merekai chuckled, ladling a decent portion of the food and poured it over the rice, placing the plate back in front of his guest and adding a biscuit from a small basket of them.

“I hope you like it,” he said sincerely before dishing some up for himself.

Cara already knew the answer to that before he even picked up his fork. He scooped some of the steaming food and put it in his mouth. The moment the delectable concoction touched his tongue, Caraenyl’s taste buds sang with delight and a low moan rumbled in his throat.

Merekai smiled from across the table, eyes sparkling with amusement. “Good?”

“It’s delicious!” Cara exclaimed, heaping more onto his fork and devouring it.

The doctor chuckling made Caraenyl blush. “I’m glad you like it.”

The redhead forced himself to fully chew and swallow before scooping up more; if he didn’t pace himself, he’d end up looking like a pig with poor table manners. Cara couldn’t have that, no matter how fucking good the food was.

And it was _so_ fucking **good**.

A few minutes of silence passed as they ate, Caraenyl focusing solely on not shoving the entire plate into his mouth, so when his host spoke, he nearly choked.

“So, how long have you lived in the Hinterlands?” Those olive green eyes were curious on the redhead and a wave of shyness struck Cara. He looked down at his plate even as he smiled a little.

“Uh, almost four years now, I think,” he answered, gaze darting up now and then to meet Merekai’s for a brief moment.

“Are you liking it here?”

Caraenyl nodded, taking a sip from the very delicious wine. “Yeah, it’s a nice change of pace from the Stranglethorn area. I mean, it’s warm down there and all, but watching the seasons change is better than dry season and wet season.” Not wanting to feel rude, the redhead glanced up and asked, “Have you always lived here?”

“No,” Merekai answered, his eyes turning a bit sad. “I lived in the Hillsbrad area for a long time… then moved to Gilneas for a few years, but…. Well, Hinterlands just seemed like a better place to be at the time.”

“Yeah.” Caraenyl knew of the deadly Plague that had swept through Lordaeron, his own birthplace had been devastated by those events, and had heard of Gilneas’s collapse. He could completely understand wanting to get away from it all. “I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something upsetting.”

The vet smiled and waved the apology off. “Don’t worry about it, Cara.”

The redhead’s cheeks flushed again; had the shortened version of his name always sounded like that?

“Is it alright to call you that?” Merekai asked, noticing the way his guest paused.

“Of-of course!” he responded, trying to cover his embarrassment but, based on the way his host’s eyes sparkled and smile widened, he wasn’t being very successful. “My friends call me that all the time.”

“Ah, then you can call me Kai.”

“Alright… Kai.” Caraenyl blushed a bit more at the way Merekai stared at him after he said it, those green eyes almost asking ‘say it again,’ before he took a few more bites of his food.

Cara did the same, trying very hard not to imagine that sexy voice of the vet’s whispering in his ear.

“What about your job?” Merekai inquired after a few bites and sips of wine. “I mean, you know what I do for a living, but you’ve never talked about it the few times we’ve spoken at work.”

The redhead knew this question would come up. It was always awkward to talk about; he had prepared a few different not-whole-truths to tell him, but now that the subject had come up, Cara found himself wanting to tell the truth, even if it wasn’t all that comfortable for him.

“W-well I… I make videos on YouTube.” Caraenyl had a hard time looking at Kai’s green eyes.

“Oh yeah? What types of videos?”

“Uhm, mostly video game let’s plays. I really like RPGs and puzzle games, and people evidently like watching me be bad. Brings in enough to pay bills and stuff.” Cara scooped up the last of his delicious food and put it in his mouth before he could embarrass himself more.

“What’s your handle,” Kai asked, also finishing his serving. “I’d love to look you up.”

Caraenyl tried to hide his horrified expression by taking a large gulp from his wineglass; his silly channel was definitely not very flattering to who he was. All his videos were filled with bad jokes, even worse gameplay, and stupidly silly headcanons. “Y-you really don’t have to, Kai.”

“I want to,” the vet replied, a tone of sincerity in his voice that had Cara melting in mere seconds. “It can’t be that bad.”

The redhead sighed, hoping this wouldn’t haunt him later. “It’s TheStoryteller, all one word.”

Merekai’s eyebrows shot up at the name. “TheStoryteller?” When Cara nodded, the vet’s face lit up. “I thought your voice sounded familiar! I’ve been watching your stuff for years! Oh man, I always loved your slogan of ‘My voice tells the story, not my face.’ And the way to tell stories in the games you play just… pulls me in. Wow, I never thought I would meet you!”

Caraenyl blinked. “Wait, you’re a subscriber?”

“Yup! First vids of yours I watched was when you played that _Forget_ game from years ago. Been watching ever since.”

Cara’s face and ears felt like they were going to spontaneously combust. He dropped his face into his hands and groaned, “Then you already know.”

“Know what?”

“That I’m a loser.”

Kai chuckled, causing the redhead to peek over his fingers. The fondness in the vet’s expression made warmth spread throughout Caraenyl’s body and he suddenly didn’t feel so silly. “You’re not a loser, Cara. Far from it, I’d say.” Their eyes locked for a moment and Cara, for the first time that evening, felt comfortable holding his gaze. Merekai just looked so honest and open in that moment; it eased Caraenyl’s nerves and calmed his fears.

The doctor glanced down and cleared his throat. “Would you like another serving? Or would you rather have dessert?”

Cara’s ears perked up at the mention of dessert. He did have room left in his stomach, and more of the shrimp was tempting. “Did you make the dessert as well?”

Kai smiled. “Of course.”

“Dessert… please,” the redhead said a little too enthusiastically.

Merekai stood from his chair and grabbed their empty plates; the redhead moved to help, but his host gently told him to not worry himself and smiled before walking into the kitchen.

The vet returned with two smaller plates that had a slice of creamy cake on them. “Mint chocolate cheesecake,” he announced as he placed a slice before his guest.

Caraenyl eagerly grabbed his fork and dug in, another moan rumbling in his throat even before Kai could sit back down.

“This just isn’t fair,” Cara complained, putting another bite into his mouth.

“What isn’t?” Merekai asked, taking a bite of his own.

“That I can’t have this kind of food all the time! My cooking abilities are mediocre at best.” The cheesecake was melt-in-your-mouth delectable, the mint not overbearing and the chocolate mixing perfectly over his taste buds. “Mmm…. You promise to cook like this every time, I won’t have the willpower to turn down any date!”

Kai laughed; a pleasant sound that made Caraenyl pause in devouring his dessert. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They finished eating in comfortable silence. Cara sat back and sighed when his plate had been all but licked clean, sipping on the wine that surprisingly tasted good with the dessert.

“Get enough to eat?”

The redhead nodded and patted his full tummy for emphasis. “Haven’t had a meal like that for a long time.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Merekai said, wiping his mouth on a napkin and looking quite pleased with himself as he gazed at the redhead.

Cara blushed, sitting up a bit and forcing himself to hold the doctor’s gaze. “Thank you very much, Kai. It was….” He shook his head, unable to find the words. “Just… thank you.”

“I should be thanking you for coming here,” Kai responded. “Most people wouldn’t feel comfortable going to someone else’s house for the first date.”

Caraenyl shrugged. “If you were anybody else, I probably wouldn’t have been.”

The doctor smiled that dazzling smile of his and Cara looked away, faint blush touching his cheeks again.

Music filtered into the room, the song starting was one Caraenyl recognized and was rumored to be very good to play while having sex. So, naturally, the next words Merekai said had him blushing harder than he had all night.

“Want to work off the meal we just had?”

“Wh-what?” the redhead squeaked, eyes wide and face hot.

Kai stood and walked over to his date, holding out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

“Oh! Dance… right.” Cara glanced toward the living room and the butterflies came back. “Uh… I don’t… really dance.”

“It’s not hard to learn,” Merekai gently encouraged. “I’ll keep it simple. I promise.”

The redhead hesitated another moment before a small smile touched his lips at imagining them dancing and he nodded, grabbing Kai’s hand. “Okay.”

Kai led him back into the living room and placed his other hand upon Caraenyl’s waist, instructing Cara to put his free hand onto the doctor’s shoulder. They started moving, small steps, Merekai being an excellent teacher and encouragement. Cara was able to pick up the rhythm and match his partner and soon the redhead was gazing up at the extremely handsome vet as they swayed to the music.

Merekai held the redhead’s gaze, olive green eyes roaming over Caraenyl’s face. Cara fought the shy urge to look away, but wasn’t completely successful, glancing momentarily at Kai’s chest. The top few buttons on his shirt were undone and Cara’s dark gold eyes roamed up the delicious-looking skin that was bared, cheeks heating again as he pictured himself licking the flesh and wondering if Kai’s facial hair would tickle.

The hand at Caraenyl’s waist moved, Cara adjusting his light grip on Merekai’s shoulder to his chest as Kai’s large, warm hand cupped his face.

Caraenyl looked up, Merekai still gazing at him in a way that had the redhead melting. At first, Cara thought he was imagining Kai’s face getting closer, but when hot breath tickled Cara’s lips, he knew it was real. He shuddered, the doctor not moving closer, as if asking permission, eyes never leaving Cara’s.

**_Fuck_** he wanted to; Caraenyl moved forward almost instantly, eyes closing as their lips met.

The crescendoing music muted as Cara was filled with sensations. His lips tingled as they moved against Merekai’s, his heart thundered in his ears and his body warmed. Cara’s other hand left Kai’s to skim over the vet’s shoulder and up his neck to gently grab the back of Kai’s head, threading his fingers in soft hair.

Merekai wrapped his now free arm around Cara’s waist and pulled him close, a soft moan rumbling in the redhead’s throat when Kai swiped the tip of his tongue over Cara’s lower lip at the same time. Caraenyl complied and opened his mouth, welcoming Kai’s tongue with his own. He tasted like chocolate and mint and Cara loved the flavor.

The kiss was languid and sent pleasant shivers down Caraenyl’s spine; how long since he’d been kissed like this? Like all that existed in that moment was him and Kai and all they needed was each other. Too long, he realized. Cara didn’t want to pass up kisses and touches like this anymore; maybe with Merekai he could finally move past the heartbreak he’d felt for so long.

They parted slowly, as if neither wanted to stop. Caraenyl knew his face was flushed, but it was a nice sensation as opposed to embarrassing, and he sighed, leaning into Kai and resting his head against the doctor’s chest, wrapping his arms around the large man as he whispered, “This is nice.”

“Yeah,” Merekai responded, holding the redhead close.

They swayed to another song, before Kai checked his watch and cleared his throat. “It’s still a bit early. Would you be interested in watching a movie before you go?”

“What movie?” the redhead asked, trying not to look disappointed when his host stepped away from their embrace.

“Your choice, my collection is below the TV.” His smile was sweet as he motioned toward the television and then moved to the fireplace to replenish the dying fire with more wood.

Caraenyl took the opportunity to open the TV stand and gaze at the doctor’s decent collection of movies. There were a few box sets of television shows and some collector’s editions. Most he recognized; the redhead pulled out one he’d never seen to read the back cover. His dark gold eyes caught sight of another DVD case behind the one he’d removed and he leaned closer to read the title. _Under the Full Moon_? Cara hadn’t even heard of it and he curiously reached in to pull it out.

He immediately regretted his decision. The redhead’s face flushed, ears burned, and jeans suddenly felt tight as he read more information on the front cover, “HOT worgen on elf action!” “Night Elf, Blood Elf, AND High Elf Stars!” The words were plastered over several pictures of various nude elves and worgen; Cara could only stare, his mind at first wondering what was on the disk, but then putting the image of Merekai watching… naked… on his couch… with legs spre—

“Find something to watch?”

Caraenyl shot up with a start, trying to hide the steamy DVD foolishly behind the other movie he was holding and stammered, “Oh! Uh-y-yeah! Th-this one will be fine.” He pointed at the case facing his host, not realizing it was the back cover.

Kai raised an eyebrow and smirked, reaching for the movie. “Alright, I’ll get it set up—”

“I can do it!” the redhead announced and whipped around to face the TV, hoping Merekai would go sit on the couch. He should’ve known he didn’t have such luck.

Large, warm hands landed gently on Cara’s shoulders. “What’s wrong, Cara?”

“Nothing!” He clutched the DVDs close, keeping them from his host’s gaze.

The doctor chuckled softly. “Okay, I will admit that nervous is a cute look for you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just let it slide. What’s got you so worked up?”

_…cute?_ Caraenyl’s mind reeled for a moment, blushing harder and biting his lip. He knew he couldn’t get out if it now and slowly brought the movies away from his chest.

Kai tensed up behind him. “Oh… shit.”

“I’m sorry!” The redhead spun back around once Merekai’s hands fell from his shoulders. “I didn’t mean to—to snoop! I hadn’t heard of it before and pulled it out to see what it was and I didn’t put it back before you asked me if I chose anything and—”

The doctor raised his hands and gently voiced, “It’s okay, Cara,” before sighing, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. “It… doesn’t bother you, that I have this?”

Caraenyl looked quizzically up at Kai, thinking it to be an odd question. He certainly was in no position to judge, not with the collection he had built up over the years. “Of course not, Kai. It just… doesn’t seem like appropriate material for a first date.”

Merekai laughed and carefully took the DVDs from the redhead, once again offering to set the non-pornographic movie up for viewing. This time Cara took the offer and placed himself on the couch. The fire crackled pleasantly to his right and he gazed at it, trying to relax from his embarrassment. He certainly hadn’t been expecting to find that.

His host joined him on the couch a few moments later, smiling softly as he turned on the television and some previews began playing.

Caraenyl slipped his shoes off and tucked his feet under himself, the words slipping passed his lips without getting permission from his brain. “So, you’re into worgen?” _…fuck my life._ The redhead barely held back a groan and placed his warming face into his cool hands. Would he ever stop embarrassing himself tonight?

“Well, actually, I am worgen,” the doctor tightly responded.

Cara looked at him, wondering why he was surprised. “Really?”

Merekai nodded stiffly, appearing to be a bit nervous, pale green eyes glancing at the redhead with a flash of uncertainty. “Are you… okay with that?”

Caraenyl’s expression softened, his embarrassment forgotten, and he smiled. Gently grabbing his host’s hand and squeezing, he replied, “Of course I am, Kai. I mean, I’ve never really met a worgen personally, but I also didn’t buy into the whole ‘worgen are dangerous beasts’ thing, either. It always sounded like propaganda to me, like when the humans did that huge campaign against the orcs several years ago. Nothing but feeding old fears and looking back at a horrific past instead of trying to forge a better future, you know?”

The doctor gave his guest a small smile. “There is a grain of truth to it, though,” he said softly. “Worgen can be pretty vicious if conditions are right.”

Cara snorted and waved away the comment with his free hand. “ _Anybody_ can be vicious under certain circumstances, believe me.” He paused a moment, watching as those pale green eyes gazed at him, as if trying to read something in the redhead’s expression. Caraenyl almost flinched, hoping he hadn’t revealed too much of what he’d seen over his 126 years; he was sure to either bore to death or (more likely) scare away his date with the stories he had being a top-ranking Ranger of Silvermoon during the First and Second Wars.

Wanting a change of subject, Caraenyl cleared his throat. “So… can I see it? Your worgen side, I mean,” he asked, a slight blush returning to his cheeks.

Merekai sighed. “Well, under other circumstances, I would say no, but seeing as this is still technically a date, you do deserve to see what you’re getting into. I just hope it doesn’t turn you away from more dates.” Cara would have replied, but Kai raised his hand up to his face and kissed it, scattering the redhead’s thoughts, before bending over to remove his shoes and socks.

The doctor leaned back again and, quite suddenly, became worgen. The transformation was much faster than Caraenyl had thought and all he really saw change was the hand Kai had on the couch beside him; the fingers had grown, nails had become long, sharp, and deadly, and fur had emerged from his skin. By the time the redhead looked up, a very different face was gazing back at him.

By this point in his life, Cara had long acknowledged that he liked larger men. If “human” Merekai Korveris had been large before, then he was gigantic now; at least a foot taller than before, wider shoulders, bigger muscles… everything the redhead had fantasized about. His dark fur looked amazingly soft as did his short mane, Cara holding back the urge to run his fingers through it. Kai’s pale green eyes now glowed gently in the dim light and they stared down at the redhead, waiting for a verbal reaction.

Caraenyl had to swallow a couple times, his mouth and throat had dried, although he hoped he wasn’t literally gaping open-mouthed like he thought he was, and choked out, “ _Definitely_ no problems with **that**.”

The way Kai smiled made the redhead blush again. Even seeing those sharp teeth sent a little thrill down Cara’s spine and he shivered.

“Are you cold?” the doctor asked, his voice huskier than before.

Caraenyl shrugged, trying to ignore how he sounded hotter, and wrapped his arms around himself. “A little. A curse of my own; I’m always a bit cold.”

“Here,” Merekai grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and encouraged his guest to come closer. “I’ve been told I’m better than a space heater like this,” he said with another toothy grin.

The redhead smiled shyly as he complied, his left side pressing up against the much larger man. Kai quickly tucked the blanket around them, trapping delicious heat that almost had Cara’s heart melting. He couldn’t believe how quickly he felt so cozy; the warmth quickly seeped through his clothing and he sighed pleasantly.

The doctor rested his right hand on Caraenyl’s leg atop the blanket, the touch soothing, as they finally settled in to watch the movie.

“Just for future reference,” Merekai voiced during the opening sequence, “when _would_ it be appropriate to watch something like _Under the Full Moon_ for a date?”

Cara’s ears burned, but he looked up at his date and said seriously, “The fifth date, of course.”

Kai chuckled, gazing down at the redhead with fondness in his glowing green eyes. Caraenyl took the opportunity and quickly leaned up to plant a quick kiss upon the doctor’s nose, which caused Kai to laugh and hold the redhead tighter. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Cara nuzzled Kai’s chest, unable to stop smiling as he looked at the television. He’d missed the movie’s title and probably something essential to the plot, but he also didn’t care. The warmth surrounding him, strong arms holding him, the soft glow from the fire, it all relaxed Caraenyl in a way he hadn’t experienced in years and it was only took a few minutes of it to lull him into pleasant slumber.

 

Neffren was pleasingly sore when he awoke. His troll lover wasn’t beside the strawberry blond, but he wasn’t offended; Luuk’tan had several raptors to feed and take care of and Neff knew Luu would return to bed when his chores were done.

Releasing a happy sigh, Neffren grabbed his phone and sent a text to his roommate, now that he didn’t have sex to distract him from his curiosity. “How wuz ur d8??”

He stretched and lounged on the large bed, waiting for a reply, which thankfully didn’t take more than a few minutes.

“Good.”

Neffren snorted and texted back, “JUST gud??”

“Well, I kinda fell asleep on him.”

The strawberry blonde cackled, rolling around on the bed, and replying with shaky fingers, “WHAAAT?!”

“Shut up – stop laughing!”

“No way!” Neffren laughed harder, wiping away tears as his lover returned to the room with a goofy grin and question in his dark eyes. “Just a sec,” the elf wheezed, typing frantically on his smartphone, “Where r u?”

“Getting gas now – on my way home.”

“Meet u there!”

“What be goin’ on?” Luu finally asked, sitting beside Neffren, who began looking for his clothes.

“We have to go to my place,” the strawberry blond said, tossing his phone to the troll and waited for him to read the conversation he just had. “This is a story I’ve _got_ to hear!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Please, if you enjoyed the fic, do leave a comment! Knowing I'm entertaining others really does keep the muses happy, fed, and eager to write more!


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